Kerala court rejects sex scandal victim's plea

Idukki (Kerala), Mar 2 (IANS) A Kerala court here Saturday refused to take up a petition filed by the victim of the infamous Suryanelli sex case demanding further investigation against Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien.

The court of Peerumedu first class magistrate said since the case was earlier considered by it, the private petition by the victim could not be taken up again.

Kurien's name never appeared in the list of accused and in the late 1990s after a special court found more than 42 people guilty, the victim then filed a private complaint against Kurien in a court in Idukki district pointing that he had exploited her at a guest house.

He got a discharge in the case from the Supreme Court in that petition.

The sex scandal took place at Suryanelli in Idukki district in January 1996, when the then 16-year-old victim was threatened, abducted and abused by a bus conductor and was later confined and sexually assaulted for 45 days by 42 men.

The case was back in the spotlight after the Supreme Court ordered a retrial in the case Jan 31, while setting aside the acquittal in 2005 by the Kerala High Court of all but one of the 35 accused convicted by a special court.

Last month, the victim approached police in Kottayam district, where she lives, asking for a fresh case against Kurien. The director general of prosecution was of the opinion that there was nothing new in her petition and a case could not be registered.